HEAVY SNOWFOOL

ANT'S CRASH CARNAGE

NANNY 'MURDER'

Pair 'kept French nanny prisoner before beating her to death & burning body'

SOLD OUT BY PAL

One police source said recent “negotiations” with Basil came about after another gang member gave clues to Basil’s real identity.

He allegedly did this in the hope it would water down extra jail time the gang is expected to face later this year following revised estimates of the true value of the haul.

Despite Basil being repeatedly caught on CCTV, his disguise of a blue cap, surgical mask, ear defenders and possibly a ginger wig left ­detectives stumped.

Times Newspapers Ltd

Raided... Police were caught unawares during the Hatton Garden heist

They admit they do not even know if Basil is his real name or simply a nickname inspired by children’s TV puppet Basil Brush.

Since his disappearance he has been dubbed “The Ghost”.

One senior police source told Wensley that detectives had “virtually given up hope” of ever catching Basil alive.

HE WAS THE MASTERMIND

One theory is that Basil was always the brains behind the gang’s insider knowledge — he was able to identify the thinnest part of the wall to drill, cracked the layout of the alarm and cameras, and knew that the most valuable boxes in the vault were on the right-hand side.

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Reinforced steel door offered little resistance

Another source explained: “Basil’s biggest problem is that he has inside knowledge about the Hatton Garden raid.

“That makes him ‘vulnerable’ in the eyes of the underworld.

“No doubt he thought he was set up for life after he went on the lam (run) with those gems but that wasn’t to be.”